Direct-to-Consumer advertising of drugs beginning in the 90s turned it into the monster it is today.
Consumer driven advertising for drugs often:
present incomplete or biased information
spur people to ask for medications they don’t need
promote medications before long-term safety is known.
create conflicts between patients asking for a drug and doctors who don’t recommend itdrive up healthcare costs without adding health benefits (new drugs are much more expensive than generic drugs that may do the same job, yet cost is rarely mentioned in the ads).
Not to mention the side effects of these drugs seem to outweigh the benefits of taking the drug.